Catasauqua baker competes in 'Cupcake Wars' Sunday

Rebecca Zukowski-Gillespie, owner of Blondies, the new cupcake bakery… (KIEVIN MINGORA, THE MORNING…)

April 20, 2012|By Kathy Lauer-Williams, Of The Morning Call

A shaky video shot by an 11-year-old apparently was the ticket that got the owner of Blondies cupcake bakery in Catasauqua on Sunday's episode of "Cupcake Wars."

In the video, Rebecca Zukowski of Blondies admitted to being "tacky, flashy and loud."

Zukowski will compete against three other bakers in a new episode of the Food Network series at 8 p.m. Sunday.

The bakers face three elimination challenges until only one remains. The winner gets $10,000 and a chance to showcase cupcakes at a party for the Los Angeles Derby Dolls, a roller derby team.

Zukowski said she opened the bakery last year with "$1,000 and a hand mixer." She now makes more than 300 varieties of cupcakes in the shop at 333 Front St.

Word of her "Cupcake Wars" appearance spread when fans spotted Zukowski in TV ads for the show and posted comments on the shop's Facebook page.

"Since October I had to keep it a secret," Zukowski says. "And I'm so bad at keeping secrets."

A customer sent her a notice of a casting call for the third season of "Cupcake Wars" in early 2011. She submitted an application, she said, thinking "there's no way in heck that I'm getting on this show."

When producers asked her to submit an audition video, she enlisted her 11-year-old son, Cody, who took a video on his flip-camera. Zukowski said she figured "the only way I was getting on the show was to be 'Jersey City' – tacky, flashy and loud."

The video was posted on YouTube by "Cupcake Wars" and received the second-most views — more than 3,000 — of all the audition videos. She was asked to come to Los Angeles, but backed out because she's afraid of flying.

Food Network called again last year, asking her to compete on the fourth season of the show. Zukowski decided she would regret it if she didn't grit her teeth and get on the plane. In October, she flew to Los Angeles, where she took part in a marathon 12-hour baking session to film the hourlong show.

"My feet were killing me," says Zukowski, who makes a point of always wearing high heels.

For the first round of the show, the bakers are given weird ingredients to use to make cupcakes. Zukowski had to choose from sweetbreads, salmon and pickles and concocted a peanut butter pickle cupcake.

For the main competition, Zukowski made her shop's No. 1 seller, peanut butter black bottom cupcake, along with her blueberry French toast cupcake and Grandma's banana made with chopped walnuts and chocolate chips.

She's not allowed to reveal what happened but invites customers to join her to watch the show at her shop after 6 p.m. Sunday. Blondies is not usually open Sunday but will have special hours 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. this Sunday.

"Cupcake Wars" is part of the Food Network's top-rated Sunday block, which helped propel Food Network to its most highly rated quarter ever for January through March, according to Nielsen Media Research.